Apparatus for cleaning air



Aug. 13, 1946.

4.1;. WATSON r-rrm. Ar mnwus FOR CLEANING AIR Filed April 9, 1943 2 Sheets-Sheet I E r MAE INVENTORSQ JH/V E. MTJOM Laws C. M11 IV. YCHARL E6 B. MICE/DE.

' ATTORMEK E3 N46. J, E. WATSON ETAL I 2, 962% APPARATUS FOR CLEANING AIR 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed April 9, 19453 VENTORS.

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ATTORNEK Patented Aug. 13, 1946 UNETE STTES FATE? APPARATUS FOR CLEANING AIR Application April 9, 1943, Serial No. 482,470

Claims. 1

Our present invention relates to an apparatus for cleaning air or freeing it from dust in stationary installations and in moving conveyances.

Fig. 1 is a longitudinal section of a separating apparatus embodying our invention;

Fig. 2 is a vertical view of the apparatus taken on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a horizontal section of the apparatus taken on line 3-3 of Fig. 2.

In the separation of dust particles of moving currents of air the mixture of air and dust is subjected to a centrifugal or other separating apparatus, the size of which is dependent primarily on the quantity of air or gas from which the particles are to be separated. It is desirable to reduce the quantity of air that must be passed through the final separating apparatus, particularly on moving installations, in order to reduce as much as possible the size and weight of the separating apparatus.

In our present invention, therefore, we provide a preliminary separation or segregation of the air to be treated into a stream or streams carrying the suspended particles or dust and a stream or streams of relatively clean air which is then withdrawn so that only the air or gas in which the suspended particles have thus been concentrated need be passed through the centrifugal or other separators for the complete separation of the dust or suspended particles.

In the embodiment of the invention shown in the drawings air to be cleaned is supplied through a passage 42. The passage 42 is divided by partitions or walls 43 into a number of separate corridors or compartments 44 which may be closed by individual dampers 45. After passing the dampers 45 the air passes between a number of deflector and draw-01f elements 45. These deflectors and draw-off elements comprise vertical conduits extending downwardly from and opening through the top wall 41 of the chamber 42.

They are spaced to provide parallel passageways 48, Fig. 3, between the draw-off conduits and are shaped front and rear to offer a minimum of air resistance.

Air passing through the passageways 48 carries with it the suspended particles, particularly the heavier and coarser ones, while a part of the air is withdrawn largely freed from the suspended particles or particularly the heavier particles, through openings 49 extending in reverse direction into the vertical draw-01f elements 46. It will be understood that in being drawn through the passages 49 the direction of the air is substantially reversed while the momentum of the suspended particles carries them past with that part of the air which passes through the passageways 48.

The cleaned air thus drawn into the draw-off elements 46 passes upwardly through openings in the partition 47! into a draw-oil or outlet chamber 50 immediately above the intake or inlet passages 42. Itwill be understood, of course, that all of the air cannot be drawn into the elements 46 because it would carry with it too larg a proportion of the suspended particles, but that a smaller amount up to thirty-five or forty per cent may thus be withdrawn without checking or slowing the forward velocity of the air to such an extent as to draw coarse suspended particles into the draw-off elements 46. a

The air passing through the passageways 48 thus contains substantially all of the suspended particles and then passes to centrifugal separators 5| extending vertically in the passages 42. The upper end of each of these centrifugal separators 5! is provided with tangential inlet or inlets and is otherwise closed except through an open ended off-take pipe 52 which extends into the centrifugal tubes 5! to form an annular space and which also extends through the partition 41 to deliver into the off-take passage 50.

The dust or particle laden air enters the tangential inlet or inlets and passes through the annular space in a helical movement to the bottom of the oiT-take pipe thereby throwing out the particles by centifugal action.

The separated dust or particles travel down through the tube 5! and through conical adapters 53 together with a small amount of the air and are then passed into collecting conduits or headers 54 which in turn deliver to an exhaust conduit or manifold 55. The cleaned air delivered to the outlet passage or chamber 50 passes a control damper 55 into delivery passages 51.

It will be apparent that the velocity of the dust laden air and the suspended particles increases on entering the passages 48 and a maximum velocity is reached in passing through the throat. The inertia of the particles at this increased velocity tends to propel them in straight lines through the expanding portions of the Venturi passages toward the centrifugal separators 5!.

In the expanding portions of the passages air or gas may move sideways because of its relatively small inertia out of the direct path of the particles propelled through the central part of this expanding passage and may then enter the sidewise passages 49 and be drawn off into the off-take chamber 50. The amount of air or gas to be treated in the separators 51 is, therefore, much reduced and the number and size of these separators may be reduced proportionately.

What we claim is:

1. Apparatus for separating suspended particles from air which comprises a centrifugal separator, a Venturi passage comprising a throat and an expanding passage leading from said throat to said centrifugal separator and draw ofi passages from said expanding passage transverse to the direction of flow therethrough.

2. Apparatus for separating suspended particles from air which comprises a centrifugal separator, a supply conduit for said centrifugal separator and means for dividing said supply conduit into a number of parallel Venturi passages each having a throat portion and an expanding portion leading from said throat toward said centrifugal separator and draw 01f passages from said expanding portion transverse to the direction of flow through said expanding portion.

3. Apparatus for separating suspended particles from a flowing gas which comprises separating means for separating said suspended particles from said flowing gas, a conduit for supplying said gases to said separator, parallel partitions in said conduit, said partitions being of decreasing width toward said separator to form parallel passages each having a narrow throat and expanding from said throat toward said separator, said partitions having draw off openings from said expanding parts of said passages transverse to the direction of flow through said passages.

4. Means for separating suspended particles from gases which comprises a plenum chamber having an inlet, separating means in said plenum chamber for separating suspended particles from gases, an ofi-take chamber to receive clean gases from said separators after the removal of suspended particles therefrom, means between said inlet and said separating means for dividing the air passing to said separators into separate streams, said dividing means forming passages in parallel each having a contracted throat and an expanding passage leading therefrom toward said separating means and means for withdrawing gases from said expanding passages in a direction transverse to the flow of said streams therethrough and for passing said separated gases to said ofi-take chamber.

5. Apparatus for separating dust particles from gases which comprises a plenum chamber having an inlet, means in said plenum chamber for separating suspended particles from gas, an ofi-take chamber to receive clean gas from said separating means, a Venturi between said inlet and said separating means comprising a throat and a passage expanding from said throat toward said separating means, and means for drawin gases from said expanding passage in a direction transverse to the direction of flow therethrough and for passing said separated gas to said off-take chamber.

JOHN E. WATSON. LOUIS C. WHITON. CHARLES B. MCBRIDE. 

